As the technology and geographical reach of remote communication expands, there is an increasing affordable access to the communication infrastructure. Existing infrastructure may be standard copper cable, category III, IV, or V copper cable, or fiber optic cable. Access to phone lines, facsimile lines, CATV, and computer networks is typically through one or more wall or floor outlets that house connectors of varying styles. Outlets often reside in populated areas. Outlets may, therefore, be subject to transverse and tensile forces as people trip over cables protruding from the outlets and move furniture and other objects about in daily routine. To maintain the integrity of the data being transmitted over the infrastructure, it is crucial to maintain the integrity of the physical cable and connectors that carry the data. Repair usually requires retermination or replacement of the connector and retermination of the cable. Repair and the associated temporary inaccessibility to the communication infrastructure, is costly. There is a need, therefore, for a rugged outlet capable of housing varying styles of connectors and cables that is resistant to forces that may occur in the workplace.
Category V copper and fiber optic cables offer higher data transmission speeds and bandwidth than the standard category III copper cable that currently predominates. Category V copper cable and fiber optic cable require a minimum bend radius according to respective engineering codes in order to achieve the available data transmission speeds with acceptable bit error rates. Recommended standards EIA/TIA-568, EIA/TIA TSB-36 and EIA/TIA TSB-40, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference, specify transmission performance requirements for unshielded twisted pair (UTP) and fiber optic connecting hardware consistent with the three categories of UTP cable and fiber cable. Shielded twisted pair (STP) cable also has minimum bend radius requirements.
One important specification for UTP cable management practices is that cable bend radii shall not be less than four times the cable diameter. The minimum bend radius currently recommended for fiber optic cable is 30 mm(1.18 inch). A cable that exits a wall or floor at substantially 90 degrees gives rise to the possibility of exceeding the minimum bend radius requirement as gravity acts on the cable. Solutions to this problem include strain relief boots and curved stiffeners to direct a cable downwardly while maintaining the required minimum bend radius. An alternative solution consists of mounting a connector at substantially 45 degrees relative to the mounting surface as disclosed and taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,362,254. Both the 90 degree exit and the 45 degree exit create a loop comprising a stiff connector body, a strain relief boot and cable that extends from the outlet mounting surface at some angle, into the physical space some distance from the wall, and to the floor. The greater the distance from the mounting surface invaded by the loop, the greater the possibility of snagging the loop injuring either a person or the connector and cable. As furniture is pushed against a wall outlet, the loop also presents the possibility of pushing a desk or chair too close to the point of exit and exceeding the minimum bend radius. In addition, prior art wall outlets have exposed connectors protruding from an outlet mounting surface into the workspace the outlet services. The greater the protrusion from a planar mounting surface, either wall or floor, the greater the possibility the connector will be subject to transverse forces that can damage the connector. There is a need, therefore, for a low profile wall/floor outlet capable of managing cable by maintaining a minimum bend radius.
As technology progresses and the cost of emerging technologies declines, the communication infrastructure will be upgraded to address the increasing demand for capacity, bandwidth, and transmission speeds. Upgrades will include providing additional cable and connection points, replacing existing standard copper cable and the associated connectors with higher grades of cable, including category V copper and fiber optic cable. One using the communication infrastructure will have a variety of transmission media from which to choose and access. There is a need, therefore, for an information outlet that can accommodate a variety of transmission media and connector styles at one time. An outlet that accommodates a current mix of cable and connector styles will most likely require modification at a later time to accommodate newer cable and connector styles installed after initial installation of the outlet. A retrofitable information outlet should, therefore, be able to accommodate the largest minimum bend radius for all connection points in the event of upgrade to full capacity of higher transmission speed cable. It is desirable, therefore, for a hybrid information outlet to be retrofitable and capable of maintaining for all cables a minimum bend radius consistent with the highest grade cable the information outlet can accept.